People could be wasting time and money by phoning at the wrong time of the day
A call centre worker has shared the best time to phone in to avoid a long queue. While nobody enjoys waiting to speak to an operator, it’s not always easy to avoid a long wait time.
However, people could hedge their bets by ringing at certain times of the day that are usually quieter, saving time and money in the process. According to Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert (MSE) team, the best time of day to call is when the soaps are on TV.
Keen to help Brits, Martin Lewis’ team asked call centre workers to spill their secrets and top tips. The results were shared in a video posted on the consumer advice website and MSE’s Instagram. The team explained that ‘phoning call centres at the wrong time is costing you.’
In the clip, the team at MSE explained: “Here’s why timing your calls right could save you time and money. We asked call centre workers to spill their insider secrets for the best time to phone them up. Here’s what they told us.
“A few workers actually recommended ringing up when the soaps were on because that’s the lowest call volume time. You also want to avoid calling just before the lines close or even at five minutes to the hour. This is because the worker might be just about to finish their shift and will want to end your call as quickly as possible.
“So you might not get the best deal. Obviously, lunchtime tends to be really busy, but it’s not just the time of day that matters. It also comes down to the week, month or even time of year that you call.
“Mondays and the beginning and the end of the month tend to be busiest too. It’s also good to think seasonally. For example, don’t call up to sort out your sports channels the day the Premier League starts.”
In response to the video, several commenters shared their own tips. For example, a social media user replied: “When I worked in IT for a call centre the call volumes were always lower on a Wednesday. Also a good day to call for a deal.” Someone else wrote: “School picking up times if you don’t have children.”
Another suggestion read: “The early bird catches the worm.” Meanwhile, a former call centre worker claimed: “I was told that calls relating to getting money from customers were always prioritised in the queuing system than those that are customer service related.
“So if there’s an option to pay for something press that option then if they can’t deal with your issue ask them too transfer you to someone who can.”
